Cognac country is not where you would expect to find a gin, and Generous makes no attempt to hide the address: it comes from a hamlet near La Rochefoucauld, in the middle of brandy territory, and it has been made there since 2015. The method borrows from the neighbours - botanicals are treated separately, some macerated and some distilled in small pot stills, then blended with juniper distillate rather than thrown into one charge together. It is bottled at 44% ABV.

Elderberry and jasmine are what make it recognisable. Both sit in the white floral register, but they behave differently: jasmine is the perfumed, slightly heady one, elderberry the cooler and greener, and together they give the gin a floral centre that never turns soapy. Around them the citrus works in layers - lemon sharp at the top, tangerine rounder and sweeter beneath it, and citrus peels adding a dry pithy edge. Red pepper arrives last, warm rather than hot, and juniper holds the base firm throughout.

At 44% there is real weight behind the flowers, which matters: a lower strength would let the jasmine drift. The palate stays fresh and aromatic, the finish dry with the pepper lingering, and the whole thing is more precise than its floral description suggests.

The serve should sharpen rather than sweeten. Fill a large copa with ice, measure 4 cl, and stop the Thomas Henry Tonic Water at 10 cl - a short measure, and deliberately so, because the flowers disappear under too much mixer. Garnish with three fresh basil leaves, two grains of Himalayan salt and a cracked peppercorn: the basil meets the jasmine, the salt lifts the citrus, and the pepper answers the red pepper already in the gin. Serve immediately.